Cancer: A cancer misdiagnosis, regardless of the type, is a serious oversight. Since cancer cells can spread quickly, an immediate diagnosis goes a long way in improving your odds of overcoming the disease. The most commonly misdiagnosed types of cancer include colorectal, breast and lung.

Heart attack: Many heart attack symptoms are shared with other less serious ailments, such as indigestion and the flu. If you suspect a heart attack but your doctor tells you it’s nothing serious, you need to proceed with caution. It’s better to be safe than sorry, so don’t hesitate to fight back and/or seek an immediate second opinion.

Stroke: A late stroke diagnosis can result in additional damage or even death. The most common symptoms of a stroke include: confusion, weakness, difficulty speaking and lack of coordination. Although most strokes hit quickly, this isn’t always the case. It’s possible you could suffer a slow onset stroke, with symptoms slowly entering your life over the course of several hours or days.

Here are three tips you can follow to help avoid a misdiagnosis:

Keep track of all your symptoms, including when they occur

Make sure your doctor follows up on any abnormal test results

Don’t hesitate to seek a second opinion, even if you trust the first medical professional

Even though it’s a good thing to trust your doctors, you need to realize this: They are human just like you. This means that mistakes can and will happen, any of which can impact your health.

If you’re the victim of medical malpractice, perhaps as the result of a commonly misdiagnosed condition, you should get the care you deserve without delay. From there, find out why the doctor made a mistake and what you can do to protect your legal rights as a patient.